Termites

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SteveB
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Termites

Post by SteveB »

My house purchasing plans are moving ahead apace, in that I have had an offer accepted and am now grappling with the compromis de vente. In the diagnostics there is a mention of evidence of termites in the "abris de bois" in the garden but not in the house. The agent immobilier assures me that this is not a major problem and easily remedied, but I wondered if anyone had had any experience of this kind and had any advice to offer.

Thanks for any help
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Kate
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Post by Kate »

Hi Steve,
We have some friends who had to have treatment for termites. It's not cheap and it's ongoing. They pay every year to have the traps reset (or whatever needs doing). It can be a major problem depending on how serious it is, and they have certainly paid in the thousands rather than the hundreds. Your agent is being a little too flippant in my opinion.
SteveB
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Termites

Post by SteveB »

We have some friends who had to have treatment for termites.


Do you know if your friends had the problem in the house or just in the garden?
interiors66
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Post by interiors66 »

It sounds more to me that the expert is just covering his arse as they could never be able to inspect every joist or beam inside so reporting this covers him for any future infestation,however can you not just remove the infected timber or abris
SteveB
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Post by SteveB »

[quote]It sounds more to me that the expert is just covering his arse[quote]
Yes, that was my impression - he didn't seem to see it as a particularly urgent situation, just recommending "assainissement", or decontamination. Interestingly the agent suggested the same thing as interiors66, just getting rid of the affected wood, so maybe he's right after all. I did wonder whether it's worth trying to get the vendor to deal with it as a "condition suspensive" - not being familiar with termites I don't know how normal it is in this area to find some in the garden.
Sus
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Termites

Post by Sus »

Hi,
I would suggest insisting on it being removed followed by another inspection to confirm that it is completely cleared. This can be a very tricky, expensive and long term problem

Sus
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Kate
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Post by Kate »

Yes, I agree. I would want it to be removed. My friends in Sorède had it in the house in the beams though and this is why it was such a big deal. I know that they have been treating it for at least 5 years now. If you do need further info, I'm sure they wouldn't mind answering any specific questions. If you send me an email on info@anglophone-direct.com I can pass it on and they can answer you direct.
Owens88
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Post by Owens88 »

I was told that all property sales in this area had to come with a certificate that Termite treatment had taken place.

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Lanark Lass
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Termites

Post by Lanark Lass »

When you buy a property the seller has to carry out a check for termites and give you a copy of the report.

Our report stated no active termite activity visible at time of sale.

However 9 years down the line we spotted termites in the end of a beam. To ensure that it really only was those few termites, all walls and ceiling in the downstairs of the property had to be removed and the house treated.

We have a 10 year guarrantee for the treatment. Shop around for a treater of termites - their charges vary substantially.

However the big cost has been re-instating our lounge diner i.e. having walls and ceilings re-instated, then re-decorated etc., etc.

It is doubtful whether someone carrying out a survey at time of sale would know what lay behind boxxed in beams, wallboards etc.

Also be aware that house insurance does not include cover for problems caused by termites!!
SteveB
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Termites

Post by SteveB »

Thanks for the various advice and warnings!

To clarify, the inspection has been done and is included in the "diagnostics" with the compromis de vente, as I gather is normal practice. No signs of termites have been found in the house but there are signs of them in an "abri de bois" outside, as I mentioned earlier. The inspector recommends decontamination of the garden and keeping the infected wood away from the house. I'm currently negotiating to have the vendor treat the problem as a "condition suspensive", but it seems to depend on whether they are obliged to do this if the termites aren't actually in the house.

Whatever happens it seems clear that they have to be got rid of somehow before they make their way into the house - assuming they haven't already and have been missed by the inspection!
CPB
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Post by CPB »

Our house had termites when we bought it and the previous owners had already paid for 2 years of further termite treatment on the property, so that when we ok it over the treatment plan was paid and would be finished.

You could ask your notaire of you could add a clause to say should termites be found in the property within the preceding year, post purchase, they would pay for the eradication? Or possibly ask for them to pay for the tree to be treated?
SteveB
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Termites

Post by SteveB »

I should bring you up to date with my termite issues. After further consultation with the agent immobilier to ascertain what and where the evidence of termites was, it turned out that there was one piece of wood next to a log store that had evidence of having been chewed by them. On this basis I decided it wasn't a major issue, though the owner has been asked to remove the offending piece of wood.

Thanks again for all your help and suggestions.
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